Cirque Du Freak: The blood dancer, the Story of arina ralph
by ThecreepyBiscut1
Summary: . The first 15-20 chapters will be about 6-8 years before cirque du freak:A living nightmare. I hope you enjoy the story and feedback is appreciated! Love, Xania Thurston The M rating does not kick in until about chapter 27. It's CrepsleyxOC from chapter 19 , so do not spam. I beg of you, fanfiction is for fun and I do try my be accurate according to the books. I love you guys! :)
1. Prologue

Prologue  
My name is Arina Ralph. I used to be a perfectly average girl. Average grades, average friends, average everything. Well mostly average...I've always looked different. My hair and eyes were naturally a deep blood red. But that doesn't matter; not yet anyways.  
I bet you think this is just a story? That this record of events is for your entertainment? Well think what you want, but remember this; It's not. This is not a work of fiction. if you choose to believe it, you will be aware of the dangers of the world. if not, take pleasure in my pain. Take joy in my sorrow. Have enjoyment in my emotionally testing experiences that nearly drive me off the edge of sanity.  
You know...as I said, i used to be an average girl. Not anymore. I found out about a certain...Talent i have. Well, it's not really a talent, it's a genetic disorder. I can control blood as well as produce much more than anyone would need. I didn't find out about it until I was 15 you know. I had a taste of normal, yet I'll never be able to taste it again.  
Heh...To think i used to want to be different.  
When I found out about my disorder, I admit I was scared. But the thing is; I was ecstatic as well. I was happy to have something...Different. My looks weren't enough. I wanted to be defined as something unique and beautiful. So of course, I tried to learn to control it. I learned to control my blood as if it were ribbons and turned it into a dance. I showed my friends at school and they feared my power.  
They called me a freak, and were scared of me. They shunned me. I was angry...So, so angry. I lashed out on them; stopped the heart of my best friend and killed her. I ran away. I ran from home, from my town , from my perfectly normal life. From my steady, warm, cozy life.  
After two years I found it...I found the ticket...The ticket that sent my now freakish life into the pit of no return.


	2. Chapter 1

I hugged myself as the rain fell in sheets upon the ground. I was soaked to the bone and stayed under the safe embrace of the book store. I pretended to look at the books so that I wouldn't be kicked out for loitering, though I had no intention of buying anything. I glanced up and saw the store clerk's beady eyes watching me suspiciously from behind the counter.  
The clerk watched intently as I shuffled through the store, looking at books. I felt odd, him watching me so closely. I mean hell! Who was I a murderer or something.  
Okay, maybe I was but it was an accident. Besides; how would he know? It happened two years ago.  
I felt uncomfortable and left, opening the door then hearing the sharp DING of the bell attached to the top of the door. I was immediately greeted by the cold sheets of rain splashing on my face. I threw my hands over my head and retreated into an alley. I thought i might be able to find somewhere to sleep tonight. Maybe an old box that kept dry through the storm or something.  
That's when I saw it. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to miss. The tiniest slip of orange paper just under a dumpster. I bent over for a moment and grasped it. It was dry a moment before because it was shielded from the rain by the dumpster.  
I read the neat print on it, "Cirque du Freak..." My eyes lit up for a moment. Not from happiness, but curiosity. I looked over the ticket. It looked like the ticket to some kind of circus or a freak show. Under the words were an adress and a time. I was suprised to see that the ticket was for a show that was tonight. Maybe someone lost it? Maybe I could get a reward for returning it...I thought.  
I thought over the options…  
Then the thought hit me; Maybe I could go. I know I needed money but still..Simple pleasures. Besides... I thought perhaps it would be comforting to see something even more bizarre than me. I smiled. The girl with red eyes in rags was going to see a freak show tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

I admit I was nervous. Nervously, wonderfully happy. I couldn't help but be happy- I'd be able to feel a bit normal after seeing people that might be even more odd than me. Yeah, it could end up being just a bunch of people in costumes but it would still be fun.  
Later in the day the rain lit up, but it was still misty and wet. It wasn't anywhere near the time for the show so I began to walk around restlessly. I occasionally looked at the dreary gray sky that was slowly turning a darker gray. I kept on looking at the battered watch on my wrist. 6:30...I counted. 7:00...8:00... I found my way to the adress unintentionally. It was 9:00 which was an hour before the show, but I was a bit confused.  
The building was an old warehouse that had been abandoned years ago, no one ever ventured in there or bother to fix it up. There were vines growing up the side and cracks in the dusty windows that were near the top of the waregouse. I knew this place was a favorite for rats far and wide and that it wasn't esactly the most desireable place to hold a show.  
My happiness was slowly eroding to doubt. The more I observed the shabby place the more I suspected the show was only a sham created to fool homeless fourty-five minutes later I turned to leave, crestfallen. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, " Can I help you?" I heard a deep male voice say. I turned for a moment and saw what was possibly the tallest man I had ever seen and ever will see.  
My words were caught in my throat but i manged to hold up my ticket and say, " I found this ticket." I refused to look into his eyes because to be honest they just looked like black holes of man took the ticket in his red-gloved hand and examined it. He smiled knowingly.  
" Come. " He said beginning to walk towards the warehouse. i followed, hesitating at first but obliging soon enough. I looked behind me and saw a person or two beginning to come as well- they also clutched tickets. The tall man said nothing as we walking into the warehouse. There was a long hallway that led to the main part of the warehouse. It seemed to go on forever. " Who are you?" I managed to croak.  
" My name...?" the tall man said. " ." I had to repress a giggle. How fitting; Mister Tall. he had to be joking...right? Nothing on his face suggested a joke. I decided to just beleive him ." I'm-" I began but was cut off, "Arina Ralph, yes I know" Mr. Tall said. I looked at him puzzled and before I got to ask how he knew my name he stopped," The show is that way." He pointed a long finger at a door that was down the dark hallway.  
I nodded and went hurriedly. I'm not sure why but i thought he knew alot more about me than just my name. It kind of scared me. I took a seat near the middle and slowly over the next ten or fifteen minutes people began to come in and take they're seats as well. Despite the time and location, it was packed by 10:00. i looked around and saw people of all sorts- Some in posh clothing, others in sweats. Some were outlandish and others looked like they could have been teachers or mailmen.  
I diddn't stand out a bit. the seats next to me were filled by strangers. One of them was a girl who looked like she could have been my age with straight blonde hair and freakishly blue eyes. She wore a black t-shirt with a unicorn that said , " F**k you and have a nice day". The other was a boy who looked a few years older than us and had scruffy brown hair. He wore a black trench coat and sunglasses , almost as if he diddn't want to be recognised.  
The two were complete opposite in appearence- the girl's looks suggested that she was screaming 'Look at me! I'm awesome!' and the guy 's appearence seemed to whisper, 'go away. I just want to see what this is. the girl looked over at me, " I'm christina," She said holding out a hand. I looked at her uncertainly.  
"You shake?" She asked moving her hand a bit, beckoning for me to shake it. I took her hand and she grasped it then shook it. " Nice to meet'cha" She said. "You gotta name?" She asked. "  
"Arina" I answered politely.  
"Arina?" She asked, testing my name out. " Cool name...Are those contacts or what?" She said her eyes looking into mine. Before i got to answer the lights shut off. Everyone went silent and an eerie green light filled the stage area where the performers would be. Mr. Tall was now standing there. " You will experience the weird and untamed in the prensence of our show. Our lineup has changed over the years more than once but never the goal- to show you the things unknown to man." he said, not needing a microphone because the room had gone into complete silence." This is not for the feint hearted" He said, " if you choose to leave now, you may but I will warn you that this is not a safe show. Things do go wrong and none of you are assured a safe return to your home.  
No one left.  
" Very well" Mr. Tall said." Let the show begin!"


	4. Chapter 4

On cue, two women in silver dresses rolled out a large cage. I could hear snarling and growling, then a long HOOOOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLL. From beneath the curtain. Mr. Tall spoke again, "I must ask everyone to be silent as possible...If the wolf man is provoked he will come after you and most likely attempt to devour you" He said calmly. He didn't need to ask twice, but everyone was on the edge of they're seat.  
Mr. Tall drew the curtains from the cage and we all saw the source of the angry growls. The thing could hardly be called a wolf man because it seemed all of it's humanity had been stripped from it. The thing snarled as it foamed at the mouth. Mr. Tall approached the cage and whispered something to the wolf man and it seemed to go into some kind of sleepy trance.  
The next thing he did was what I believed was the most dangerous thing in the world...He opened the cage and lead the wolf man out. I glanced over at Christina and saw her face had broke into a wide smile. I looked over at the man and he seemed to have sunk into his seat. He seemed to try and hide from the insanity of the wolf man, fearing it would lash out.  
The two women cautiously lead the wold man through the isles of chairs set throughout the large room. The were whispering into his ears and they let people stroke his fur and touch him as they went by. Christina touched the fur and so did I. it was rough and prickly, a bit sticky too. Sort of like bendy pine needles. The man didn't bother.  
A few isles away, a man touched the wolf man and the wolf man seemed to be awakened out of his trance. " AWWWWOOOOOOOO" he shreaked . In a split second the man who had stroked the wolf man before was pinned on the ground by the wolf man. the wolf man chomped his hand off and spit it out. Then Mr. Tall was there. I didn't even see him move! He whispered in the wolf man's ear and it went back into the trance. The two women lead him back into the cage and rolled the wolf man away.  
the man was screaming. His screeches seemed to curdle my blood. Two small people in blue cloaks that hid they're faces rushed out . Mr. Tall whispered something to the man and he calmed for a moment. Mr. Tall sprinkled pink dust of the wrist that was just a moment ago squirting blood. One of the small hooded people held the man's hand up on his wrist as the other stitched the hand right back on!  
The man snapped out of the trance and was shocked to be meeted by his hand. His eyes grew wide as he moved his fingers ever so slightly. " What the hell?" He said to no one in particular. Mr. Tall was on the stage again, faster than when he had appeared next to the man. " I will offer this once more..." He announced." Who will leave for they're own safety. You will not be judged if you choose to leave now"  
Someone stood and left in a brisk walk and a few shuffled away. They're faces indicated that they might be sick.  
Mr. Tall's eyes followed the few that left and he looked at us again.  
" Now...Let the true show begin." My eyes darted over to the man beside me and saw the slightest grin pulling at his thin lips.


	5. Chapter 5

The next act wasn't as scary. In fact it was a bit funny. It was a guy who could play music on his ribs. His name was Alexander Ribs, which again was a kind of amusing name. He could also twist and turn, he explained how his bones were made of something that was more rubbery than most people's bones. I forget what it was called.  
There was a short break and a few more of the hooded people came out and sold souvenirs. I wished I had some money, they were selling clippings of the wolf-man's hair and something made me want to touch the prickly pine-needle fur again. I guess Christina must of saw my longing stare at the fur because she pulled out some cash and bought two.  
She smiled and gave one to me, " Thanks!" I said happily. " No problemo" She answered," It's kinda obvious you probably wouldn't have been able to afford it." She said. I could tell she wasn't trying to be offensive because it was true. I had a tattered hoodie, grimy ripped jeans and old sneakers with the soles peeling off the bottoms.  
I felt the fur again. There was a bit of an odor coming from it. It wasn't exactly smelly but it was musty. I carefully placed the fur in my pocket and the lights dimmed to the same green one as before.  
Mr. Tall announced that Mr. Crepsley and his amazing performing spider were going on next and the green light switched to a purple-ish color.  
This time a man clad in a red cloak and red clothes walked from behind a set of curtains at the back of the room. He was carrying a small cage with something bright and colorful in it.  
As he got closer I noticed he had orange-ish reddish hair cut into a close cropped style. He also had a long scar trailing down his left cheek. I looked back at the cage and my eyes grew wide again. It was a spider!  
A really colorful spider. It was sitting patiently in the cage, watching us silently as if we were meant to be it's dinner tonight. I watched it intently as it watched the audience. It was so different than any other spider I had ever seen. It sort of reminded me of myself; different than any other human in appearance.  
For a split second I thought that the man who I assumed was Mr. Crepsley looked as if he had a pained expression on his face. It was quickly masked. He smiled mysteriously at the crowd. He began speaking but I was tuned in on the spider. Watching her as she was watching me. I guess he was talking about his act and giving some information on his spider. I picked up that her name was Madam Octa, that she was extremely poisonous and that she was one of the very few of her kind.  
"I must ask you all to be as quiet as possible, only clap when." He asked us quietly, "Or she might turn on me as well..." He added with a nervous smile.  
One of the pretty women from before led out a goat the kept bleating in panicy tone. Mr. Crepsley unlocked Madam Octa's cage and pulled out a small flute-like instrument at the same time."Madam Octa can kill a grown man with one bite, but I have trained her to only paralyze with the first bite" Mr. Crepsley said," I will demonstrate now."  
He put the small flute up to his lips and played a tune. The spider perked up and opened the cage door. She scurried to the goat and climbed up it's leg and onto it's neck. The goat bleated in panic. Madam Octa bared large furry fangs and sunk them into the goat's neck. The goat stopped moving and bleating, but it stood, taking ragged breaths in and out. Mr. Crepsley tooted another note and she delivered the killing bite.  
The crowd was silent with thoughts of what would happen if this tarantula creeped into they're home at night. I admit loved the tension in the air.  
He looked nervous as he played a mysterious, slow tune. The spider made it's way to Mr. Crepsley. She creeped up his leg, her long legs brushing the cloth of his deep scarlet pantleg. I shivered a bit. She crawled up to his face, her long, hairy, colorful legs brushing against his extremely pale skin. I shivered again, imagining her legs brushing against my own skin. I glanced over at Christina, she was pale with wide eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked her, barely whispering.  
"S…spider…." She squeaked quietly.  
I decided not to peruse and saw that in the short time I had looked away the spider had weaved a strand of webbing from Mr. Crepsley's chin and was now swinging in tune to the music. She swung from one side of his face to another and attached to his ear and crawled across his face. Another flute started playing from the shadows as Mr. Crepsley allowed his flute to leave his lips. Mr. Tall stepped out, playing another flute. He wasn't nearly as good as Mr. Crepsley but he managed to control the spider.  
Mr. Crepsley eased his head back and opened his mouth. For a moment I thought he was going to eat the spider! But instead of it crawling down his throat she began to move her long colorful legs back and forth across his mouth.  
She was making a web over his mouth!  
I watched in amazement as the spider gracefully wove the web around his open mouth. Soon it was covered in a white silky substance. My eyes were filled with awe as she crawled onto his neck and sat there. He moved to face the audience, careful not to disturb the tarantula resting on his neck. He licked the web off of his lips and said, " Mmmm…Fresh spider webs. They're a delicacy in some countries." He added a bit of a grin.  
He carefully positioned his flute to his lip and began playing again. The spider crawled off of his body. Mr. tall was gone again. Mr. Crepsley then made Madam Octa do a few silly tricks such as balancing on a ball , eating a miniature dinner and weave a message into her web as the spider from 'Charlotte's web' did in the book.  
The more I watched the more I liked. I loved this spider but didn't dare think of trying to own her, it would be suicide and most likely the most stupid thing I could think of. But another thought crossed my mind.  
Maybe I could join the cirque!


	6. Chapter 6

Mr. Tall led me to a tent where I would reside. He told me that the tent I would be staying in would be the one that the strong woman from earlier had left behind. On the way there he explained that I'd only have to do odd jobs until I got used to the cirque's routine, then I could begin performing. When we got to the tent he explained how when Christina got here, we'd be roomies. Well he didn't word it exactly that way but it's the simple way to put it.  
I admit I was a bit happy to have someone else new to converse with, but also slightly disappointed to not know anyone who could show me the ropes. After Mr. Tall left I looked around the tent- there was a pile of blankets and pillows and mixed in were two hammocks. I started putting them up .  
Not exactly the most exiting part of the record, correct? But it still happened. I can't just leave a tiny chunk missing, you know? I could barely sleep that night. To happy to now have a home and a place in the world. At about five o'clock I decided to give up on sleep and wondered around the camp.  
The damp air carried the whispers of crickets' chirps to my ears. I looked up at the cloudy sky and down again. I explored for ten minutes or so. I found my way to one of the other performer's trailer. It was a bit small with blacked out windows. I observed it for a moment and moved on. I thought about the trailer for a moment, wondering who's it was.  
Then I saw him- or at least a flash of red. I blinked, brushing a few rd strands of hair out of my face. I assumed my hair had only fallen into my eyes, causing the illusion of a streak of red to run across my path. I continued walking.  
Absent-mindedly I began chewing on my thumb nail. The ragged edge of the nail scraped my lip, drawing a bit of blood. "Damn.." I murmured to myself. I turned to return to my tent and realized that as I had wondered, I also had gotten lost within the camp. "Damn it all.." I murmured to myself. I stood for a moment and heard a voice behind me," May I help you?" it asked.  
I turned to face the speaker. He was dressed in all red. Red cloak, red outfit, even the orange crop of hair on his head was a bit reddish. "I…uh..Got lost.. on the way back to my tent" I Stammered, I wasn't sure why I was so nervous. I recognized him from the show, he was the one with the spider, Mr. Crepsley. "Don't be scared, I don't bite." He said. Later on, I'd realize it was a bit of an inside joke.  
"I heard Mr. tall had accepted a few more to our family, though I heard you three were not supposed to arrive until later." He stated with a frown. Before I could reply he spoke, " I suppose there is not much I can do." I noted that his speech was very precise, very well spoken.  
"What are you doing out so early?" He asked.  
"Exploring, and you?" I asked.  
" Enjoying the outdoors in the time that I can." He said. I looked at him oddly, "That you can?" I asked. " You will know in due time." He answered. "I assume you are residing in Alicia's old tent, correct?" He asked. I looked at him dumbly for a moment. He saw my stare and corrected himself, "The strong woman." He clarified. I nodded.  
He told me how to get there from where we were. I glanced at the sky and the sun began peeking over the horizon, sprinkling tiny rays of light in the sky. After that Mr. Crepsley became anxious. " I must say goodbye for the time being, it is almost time for me to turn in for the night." He said, glancing at the sun. It seemed as though it was threatening him. "See you around." I said. He darted off in the direction that the trailer with black windows had resided.  
I thought over my first encountered with another performer as I made my way back to my tent, following Mr. Crepsley's instructions. Did all the performers stay up all night and sleep in the day? Was everyone else awake until five o'clock in the morning, only staying within the confinements of they're own tents? I pondered my questions and layed on my hammock. I drifted in and out of sleep as I awaited my new roommate.  
Rays of sunlight trickled through the entrance to my tent that grew brighter and brighter. After a few hours I started to hear a few people start to awaken- I suppose the performers did sleep at night, with the exception of Mr. Crepsley.  
What makes him so special? I thought with a scowl. I wandered around for a few minutes. There was a small boy that traveled with the cirque- he was maybe five or six years old and very shy. I couldn't blame him for being shy; he was a snake boy. What I mean by that is that he had flaky skin that resembled a snake. I found out as I asked around that not only did his skin appear scaly, but he also shed his skin , was cold blooded and shared some other features with snakes.  
He had acid yellow hair and his skin was a pale yellow-green color. His face resembled a snake-boy as well. He seemed like a sweet boy from what I heard, but he kept his distance from me. One of the performers explained that he had a snake that was sick, which is why he wasn't in the show due to a sick snake the night before.  
Time passed and I began to grow anxious. The sun rose in the sky and morning brightened into noon. I awaited the other two , not wanting to be alone without anyone familiar.  
The guy- Matthew , came before Christina did. He went immediately to Mr. Tall's trailer, not speaking to anyone. He didn't come out until much later as far as I know. Though she was told to come in the morning, Christina came when the purple clouds of twilight were invading the golden twinges of sky. She seemed on edge and didn't even say hello.  
It was almost as if she wasn't supposed to be here. She went past me swiftly, I barely caught sight of her before she was inside the trailer. I assumed they were just getting the talk I had the night before but at the same time…I wasn't so sure.  
I thought in the depths of my mind, perhaps something was going on within the trailer that I should be apart of…Maybe I was missing something that would be important. Subconsciously I pushed it to the back of my mind, and found my tent. I laid there, mulling over thoughts that I lost within seconds. In a few minutes, I drifted into sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

I felt a tap on my shoulder and swatted at whatever was trying to wake me up. I groaned groggily. The one trying to wake me up simply caught my blind shot and pulled me up. I fought the awakening by keeping my eyes shut and trying to fall back into the embrace of the hammock.  
"Get up!" I heard a man's voice say. I groaned again, but opened one of my eyes slightly so I could know who to be pissed off at. I saw a blurry orange crop of hair and a blurry scar. I opened my other eye a bit and heard him grumble, " You are worse than me to wake up child…"  
I swatted one last time, not putting any actual effort into it and falling out of the hammock. I looked up and saw the more defined features of Mr. Crepsley and squinted, "What the hell do you want." I asked, peeved at being awakened. I could see that it was pitch-black outside. "Mr. Tall wished to speak with you." Mr. Crepsley answered.  
I perked up, wiping the post-sleep drool from my face . "Bleh." I said sticking out my tongue, trying to indicate that I was not pleased with Mr. Crepsley . I stood, brushing off the dust from my fall. Just to be difficult, I fell on the ground again and attempted sleep. Eventually, Mr. Crepsley simply picked me up and threw me over his shoulder then carried me to Mr. Tall's trailer.  
After a few minutes of walking Mr. Crepsley spoke, " I am going to set you down, and you are going to walk." He demanded. He seemed disgruntled with me. "Alright." I groaned. He sat me down and I stood for a moment, getting my balance. I decided to drag Mr. Crepsley along with me so I could have someone to talk to as I walked to the trailer. That and…Well it was a bit creepy out.  
The soft chirps of crickets were absent in the still night. For a few moments we were silent , but I broke the silence ," So…how long have you been with the cirque?" I asked. Somehow the nervousness from before had melted away. He had to think for a moment, "Well I have come and gone much in the past years and it is hard to add up the entire time I have spent with the cirque." He seemed to have chose his words carefully.  
" I really enjoyed watching you do your act with her…Madam Octa I mean…" I said with a longful sigh. " I felt like her and I were connected in a way..." I looked over at Mr. Crepsley and smiled, "It must be great working with her." I told him.  
He looked at me for a moment as if he were considering if I were telling the truth. " It is interesting, I admit."He stated, "But she also come with the risk of bites…" he said. I remembered from the performance that Madam Octa could kill in a bite if she chose. "I'd say it'd be worth it." I said with a slight smile. There was a hint of a smile in Mr. Crepsley's eyes that didn't quite reach his lips. We chatted for a bit, developing am early friendship.  
After a bit I had almost forgotten my anger with him for waking me up. Almost is the key word. Anyways, we made it to Mr. Tall's trailer and he opened the door for me in an old-fashioned manner. "Ah…Arina, Larten welcome." I heard someone say from inside. "Larten, feel free to stay while I speak to our new arrivals." Mr. Tall offered. Larten nodded and entered with me. I think he was just curious, nothing more.  
When we entered, Christina and Matthew were already sitting down. Christina was still on edge, Matthew seemed relaxed and relieved, almost as if he wasn't sure he would have made it here safely. "You three are the newest additions to the cirque, which I assume you have figured out by now." He stated with his deep calm voice, " I have spoken with Christina and Matthew already, but I know where each of you hail from. I would prefer if all of you would lay low…not wander out of bounds of the cirque." He said, " The people each of you wanted to get away from. Each are looking for you." A chill ran through the air as he paused, letting the news sink in.  
"Do you mean my…" Christina asked. " Yes I do mean him." Mr. Tall said, cutting her sentence off. " So your saying those inferior minded-" Matthew said, seeming to be angry. "Yes, them." Mr. Tall said, cutting Matthew off as well. I wasn't really taking it in. My mind was racing, did that mean the cops were still looking for me? Did that clerk recognize me and call the authorities? I asked myself in my thoughts.  
"Are they going to take me!?" I blurted out. Mr. Tall looked at me for a moment, then added a slight nod, "if you reveal yourself, you will be put away." The others looked at me questioningly. Christina raised an eyebrow and mouthed who are you talking about? I shook my head, trying to reject her question.  
"We will be in this town for three more days." Mr. Tall said. "So do not draw attention to yourself." He waved us off, " Now go, sleep. " he said, "I will see you three in the morning. Larten I need to speak with you before you return to your nightly activities." I looked back at Mr. Crepsley- I had forgotten he was even there.  
He nodded at Mr. Tall and the rest of us left, within seconds Matthew was gone from Christina and my eyesight, headed in the direction of his own quarters. Christina and I walked, side by side to our tent. A tension in the air that was slowly stretching and becoming tighter and tighter by the moment.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day it was as if nothing had happened. Christina was peppy and seemed to have forgotten the events of the night before. "So where's that Larten guy?" She asked me while we ate breakfast."Mr. Crepsley you mean?" I asked, "He sleeps during the day, dunno why." " I would too if we didn't have stuff to do…What was the list of stuff for today?" She asked, confused for a moment, "We just do whatever needs done I guess." I asked.  
She smiled, "Fine by me."  
Something nibbling at the back of my mind was asking, "Why is she being so nice…why has she been so nice? We've only known each other for a few days but it's like she knows me." I just guessed she was as alone as I was, or just a kind heart or whatever. After breakfast we began wandering.  
We cleaned trailers, walked dogs, found food for Rhamus Twobellies to practice his act with…We did everything but it was still fun. We joked with each other and developed a friendship. After a while one of the blue-hooded people approached us and rubbed his tummy. Christina looked down at her, "Excuse me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He patted his stomach again. "I think it's hungry…" I chimed in. It simply patted it's stomach again.  
"What does it eat…?" She asked me. "How the hell should I know!" I said. I heard a small voice squeak, " They like meat…the little people like meat. Any meat." I looked behind and saw the source of the voice- the young snake boy. I think his name was Evra.  
"Where are we supposed to get it?" I asked him sweetly. His stuttered for a moment but got out," S-someone usually hunts for them. Alicia used to but she left…" He said. "Well, I guess we'll go fund something for them." I shrugged. Evra looked relieved as if he was the one who would have had to find food for them instead. I shrugged to myself again, he was only little what would he even catch?  
Christina and I prowled around the field for a while, she used her crystals to kill rats but wouldn't let me even think about killing rabbits. "They're to fluffy to die!" She had claimed. I replied a "Alright then" with a sigh. This was going to take a while. I used my knife , which I wasn't that bad at throwing, to make my kills. after a while we had a bunch of mice and I managed to sneak some rabbits around Christina's watchful eyes.  
We dropped our game off by the little people's tent(or what we assumed was they're tent, seeing as how they were entering and leaving that one the most) and wandered around a bit more.  
After a bit Christina asked me, "So…Who's after you?"  
"Tell me your story, I'll tell you mine." I replied.  
She thought for a moment. She stayed silent for a few moments and shook her head, "Sorry, I can't say…Not yet anyways…"  
I was a bit disappointed, but a bit relieved at the same time. I didn't want to share my past, but I wanted to know more of hers. "What about that Mr. Crepsley guy…you know anything about him?" I asked. " Nope. " She replied, a little bit to quickly.  
There was a tense silence between us for a few minutes. We simply walked around, side by side bit not with each other. This tension was soon broken, only to be replaced with fear and uncertainty.


	9. Chapter 9

That night, Christina and I had decided to develop a dance together. The tension was buried for now, but nonetheless still there. The dance was like a ballet mixed with a modern style of dance. My blood and reflected off her crystals well, creating an illusion that they were red and liquidy.  
I admit, it was fun. More fun than I'd had in a long time. But something felt…Wrong. Like Christina wasn't having fun. After a while, she told me she was tired and wanted to sleep. I reluctantly stopped and let her sleep.  
I decided to go and take a walk through the camp site. I wandered, just as I had the first night I had stayed and eventually ended up on the edge of camp. I sighed and began to turn from the edge of the camp but then heard a ' Psssst' Coming from the bushes.  
Arina raised an eyebrow. A boy, maybe ten or twelve emerged from the bushes. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, almost as blue as Christina's. He was skinny and seemed to have an air of mischief to him. " Have you seen a girl..Maybe your age that looks kinda like me?" he asked. " No." I lied, remembering the conversation a few nights before. This boy didn't seem like much of a threat, but then again neither did I.  
He narrowed his eyes, "Liar." He spat." Do that again. I dare you." I whispered as I picked him up by his collar. I looked into his eyes and he looked into mine. It was as if he was looking into my mind. It unsettled me.  
I dropped him after looking into his eyes for a little over 15 seconds. I felt a little bit dizzy, as if I had just gotten electrocuted. He grinned. "I know your secrets now. She's here. You're her bunk-mate." He grinned. I took my knife from my pocket and slit my wrist, allowing blood to flow freely out. I willed it to surround me like a weapon, "Who the hell are you?" I asked.  
"Not a friend of yours." He retorted with a wicket grin, "Answer me!" I demanded, " You've seen Chrissie's talent, correct?" he asked, ignoring my question. I only glared into his eyes. "You'll crap bricks once you've seen mine." He said. I watched for a moment. His eyes seemed to flicker and evil yellow-color for a moment. I looked at him, confused for a moment.  
"Let me demonstrate." He said pleasantly. He held out a hand and a crackle of lightning appeared and disappeared in an instant. "Excuse me, that was a lousy try. " he chuckled, he rubbed his hands together. Why didn't I attack you ask? I have not the slightest idea why I didn't take the opportunity.  
He thrust out his hand and this time a ball of charged lighting appeared. He grinned wildly as he drew back his hand. It was to late when I realized what he was doing. The thrust the ball of lighting at me, it hit me directly in the stomach and I flew back into a tree, cracking the bark. I could feel that my shirt was ripped where he had hit me, and there was a huge wound. It wasn't deep, but it was hot and smoking like a burn. The boy took long strides towards me. By now I had lost control of my blood and it simply leaked from my wrists.  
"Pity." He said innocently, "I was expecting a bit of a fight from someone who killed her own best friend." I spat at him as I tried to pick myself up. He kicked me back down and laid his foot on my chest. He kneeled his bent knee and looked at me, his wild grin still lingering on his face. "Ah-ah-aaahhh" he said, waving a finger as if he were disciplining a child. He pressed down slightly, causing me to have trouble taking in oxygen. "Naughty, naughty, we don't want you going off and alerting my sister, now do we?" he said, looking me in the eyes.  
"How did you know about her…about the girl I killed…"I managed to ask. "Electromagnetic waves going through your brain and carrying the information back to me. It's complicated." He replied, as if this were a pleasant conversation. He let the electricity charge in his palm again, "Would you rather have a closed casket or an open casket?" He asked with a pleasant smile. My eyes grew wide and I braced myself.  
That's when the flames bursted out.  
The glowing red flames blasted the boy off of me. I gasped, taking in a free gulp of air now that his foot was off of my chest. I sat up and looked around. My vision was blurry and the pain from my wound was immense but I still saw him. It was the other guy- Matthew.  
Yellow-orange flames bursted from his finger tips. The boy-Christina's brother- easily dodged the flames. His sleeve was on fire from Matthew's first attack , but he was ready now. The evil grin was replaced by a psychotic glare of vengeance. "This was my favorite shirt." He said. It would have been a bit funny if he had said it in a whiny tone, but he didn't. It was a tone that punched the air as it escaped his lips.  
The lightning in his palm charged within seconds, but instead of throwing it, he let it spread to his hands. The hand looked as if it were electrically charged-which I bet it was- and he charged at Matthew.  
Matthew threw his trench coat off, it dramatically flew in the night breeze. Within seconds there was a whip of fire in his left hand that he whipped at Christina's brother. The younger boy took a hit in the shoulder but as he took a hit he also landed one on Matthew's ribcage. They staggered back from each other. I tried to pick myself up, to help Matthew, but the pain of my burn was slowly growing. I could also feel that something was broken. Maybe some ribs and my wrist.  
Then Matthew spoke, " If you leave now, no one will be hurt. Not me, not you," His voice was soothing and calm. Even with my blurry vision I could see his calm, brown eyes. The boy had a thoughtful look in his eye as he considered. He knew he would sustain injuries in the fight, and might not even win. The man before him was older and more experienced. Much more experienced.  
"Fine." He grunted, "Next time, he wont be there," He addressed me, "I don't leave my business unfinished." He took one last look at Matthew and walked away. I could see the blurriness of my sight growing faster and faster as the pain of my upper body increased. My eyesight darkened and I fell unconscious.


	10. Chapter 10

I could hear voices in the room I was laying in. I kept my eyes closed and listened.  
" Luke found her?" I heard Christina's panicked voice ask.  
"He knows you're here." Matthew replied.  
"It's to dangerous for me to be here now. I have to go."  
"It's even more dangerous on your own."  
"What about everyone else?"  
"He's coming back regardless if you are here or not."  
"What do you mean…?"  
"He wants Reina, He said he didn't leave unfinished business."  
Silence.  
"She could go with me." Christina said after a hushed silence.  
"She has to heal. She can't go on the road like that."Matthew answered, "She has 2 fractured ribs , a shattered shin bone…"  
"A broken wrist and that massive burn on her stomach. I know." Christina finished with a sigh.  
It seemed as though the stinging sensation on the surface of my stomach had turned into agony on my stomach and chest. I agreed with Matthew, I wouldn't be going anywhere in this condition. I heard someone enter, "I heard that Arina has been hurt. I thought I might visit her." I heard the voice of someone familiar.  
That someone familiar happened to bring the thought of red to mind, had precise speaking and though I wasn't looking at him, made me visualize a scar. There was an awkward silence, "Are you her friend or something?" Christina asked. "We are acquainted." Mr. Crepsley replied. "Is it smart that you be around her?" The voice of Christina asked. Judging from her voice, I thought of her with narrowed eyes , glaring at the orange-haired man.  
"I can control my thirst, thank you." He shot back.  
Thirst?  
"Stuffy old bat…" I heard Christina mummer, "It should be a rule that your not allowed to be around her." She said.  
"Well there is not one, and I have no trouble being around her, and seemingly, nor does she around me." I heard Mr. Crepsley say. Matthew was silent, I assume he wanted to be left out of the two's petty debate. All was quiet for a moment. "Whatever." I heard Christina say, it sounded like it was through gritted teeth.  
"How long has she been asleep?" Mr. Crepsley asked. " Two days." Matthew answered plainly. "Hm…" Mr. Crepsley said." May I take a look at her burn? " he seemed to be asking to avoid conflict. "It's a bit nasty." Christina chimed in, in an airy fake-sweet tone.  
"I'll take my chances." He answered. I heard some steps being taken toward me. I dared not open an eye, I had a hunch that it was best to pretend as if I were still sleeping. I felt the covers be drawn back from my shoulders down. I repressed a shiver; it was unusually cold.  
It was so cold…Except for my stomach. The flesh of it felt like it was being lit on fire, or the electricity was still running through it. I felt the wrapping around my stomach be undone, the last few coils stuck to my burnt skin. "If infection get's in she's done for." He stated. I could feel his gaze on my bare stomach.  
"Matty here sort of figured that out. He went to med school." Christina snorted. "And I have walked the earth many years before 'Matty' was even born." Mr. Crepsley shot back at her. I wondered what made Christina dislike Mr. Crepsley so much.  
I heard hushed whisper between Larten and Matthew. " Might as well give it a try." Mr. Crepsley said. I assumed he was speaking to Matthew. He took a few steps towards me. I heard a spitting sound. I felt something wet on my stomach.  
"What in bloody hell is he doing!?" I heard Christina roar.  
"Shh…Just watch." Matthew said, calming her  
I felt more spit fall onto my burn. I was about to sit up and yell, "STOP IT!" but I didn't. I didn't because something happened- I could feel the pain on my burn fading quickly. It was if it was healing.  
I heard an awed silence.  
"Awesome" Christina said softly  
"Amazing." Matthew stated.  
When the two spoke, it was as if the silent words had sliced through the air. " I have to speak to you outside. Please." Matthew said, cutting into the awed silence. "Very well." Mr. Crepsley said calmly. I heard shuffled footsteps. "hey wait for me!" I heard chrstina yell at the other two. I was alone. I cracked my eyes open for a moment.  
Mr. Crepsley had forgotten to cover my stomach back up and what I said made me take in a gasp of air. The burn was gone. It was entirely faded, leaving only the faintest trace of a scar.  
How had he done it? I asked myself.  
Then the more important question struck me…  
What the hell was he?


	11. Chapter 11

I fell asleep as I contemplated my thoughts. After I thought of it a few possibilities remained. Possibility a) It was only a dream occurring, b) He was just some guy with an unusual talent, very fair skin and liked to stay up all night. But choice C is my favorite.  
Mr. Crepsley didn't leave his trailer during the day. Christina wouldn't tell me anything about him, though it seemed she knew something important. And he also said something about feeding- not eating. But feeding. I'm no genius, but I've watched enough vampire movies to know what that term means. Choice c, as I said was my favorite.  
Vampire.  
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know it sounds stupid to you, but your normal. At least- I assume you are. When I awoke, I was alone again. I immediately looked at where my burn once was, and it was still gone. Choice A was deleted.  
After a few minutes of lying there I tried to get up. I felt a sharp pain in my rib cage and laid back down. Apparently the saliva only healed flesh wounds. After a few more minutes Christina walked in chatting with Matthew.  
" Well I think that dirty good for nothing-" Christina said, stopping when she saw me lying awake. "Arina!" She squealed happily. She rushed over to me and swooped me up in a very painful hug. "Christina… My…Ribs.." I managed to croak.  
She let go reluctantly. "When did you get up..?"  
I thought for a moment, weather or not to confront her about Mr. Crepsley but decided against it. "Only a few minutes. My bones are aching all over…" I complained. She forced a smile, "Well they ought to be…A few of them are cracked…" Her face grew grim.  
"He'll come back…" Christina said.  
"I know." I replied grimly.  
She sighed, brushing a whisp of her perfect blonde hair behind her ear. "He's my brother…He was looking for me." She said quietly. Matthew seemed to have faded into the background, knowing this was beyond what he should get into. I looked at her for a moment after she clarified the obvious. "I think I should tell you a Little bit about who I am…For your safety…" She said to me.  
I looked at her and she began to speak, " My father…he was very very greedy, he was also a crook. When I was born, he was going to put me up for adoption, despite my mother's protests. Then he found out about my power." She said. "He raised me, keeping me from my mother, trying to corrupt my mind. To twist it into something like his own." She let out a long sigh. "After a few years, luke came along. He was easily corrupted, unlike me. He liked causing misery, whereas I couldn't stand even being around it. Obviously, after a while I got so tired of it. I wanted out… Then I picked up a flier. A flier to the cirque du freak." She smiled weakly. "I liked what I saw. I wanted to join. I met you in the process- I thought at first maybe you were apart of the act…ya know? with your eyes and hair…" She sighed again, " you know the rest from there…" She said closing her eyes for a moment.  
There was a silence. Without thinking, I poured out my story to her. I didn't see how it could have helped, but I found myself telling the tale anyways. After that there was a silence. Matthew still stood at the back of the room and it seemed as if the occupants of the room had been hit by a ton of bricks.  
Matthew turned and left Christina and I in a stiff silence.


	12. Chapter 12

I had to spend two days resting, but soon enough I well enough to be up and about. I did my best to avoid the trailer where Mr. Crepsley resided and kept my revelation to myself. It seemed as if everyone knew but her. She could tell by bits of conversation she overheard from the other performers.  
it enraged her. Why wasn't she allowed to know this information. If anything, she needed to know it the most. She had to protect herself. After Christina and I swapped stories, it seemed as though her and I had grown closer. there were only three days left in this town and I couldn't wait to leave. I wanted to get away from the place Luke resided. Though I pretended that I might be able to fend him off if he came again in front of Christina, I was petrified by the thought of that twelve year old boy.  
Christina and I continued our rounds doing odd jobs. One day while we were heping out we came across a performer who we hadn't seen or met before. She had a fluffy skirt and wore fishnets on nearly every exposed part of her body. We saw her before she saw us. She had short brown hair with dyed-black tips . Her eyes were brown too, but there were flecks of green and blue. She looked like she was maybe around 19 or so.  
When we stumbled upon her she had a look of concentration on her face and was standing in front of a chair. We thought she was crazy after seeing her stare at a chair so intently for so many minutes, but our suspicions were put to rest when the chair started to scoot towards her. " Holy crap." Christina said, awestruck. This girl was moving things with her mind.  
After this accomplishment the girl squealed in delight and jumped, wearing a broad smile. "That was awesome!" Christina said. The girl went quiet and looked at us. "When did you two get here? " She said. She seemed nervous, as if she didn't want people to see her practice. "We were here long enough to see that, how'd you do it?" Christina asked. I was quiet.  
"Telekinesis." She answered. It seemed as though the nervousness was wiped away. I thought it was more likely she had been caught off guard by us. "Sweetness." Christina said with a smile. "You're the newbies, right?" The girl asked. I nodded and Christina said "Yup.". She held out a fishnet-clad hand, "I'm Lynn, nice to meet'chya." Christina took her hand and shaked. I did so too.  
"Do you ever talk?" Lynn asked me. "That's my job." Christina joked. I smiled, "I'm Arina". We hung out with Lynn for a while. After a while Lynn asked, "So…I heard on of the performers talking about one of you guys getting beat up by a 12-year-old. Is it true." " He was an evil 12-year old, thank you very much." I said in reply. "So I hear." Lynn said. It could have been teasing if not for the silence that had swept over the room.  
"Is it true he'll be looking for you?" She asked seriously. We nodded. "Well…if he comes around here, just send him here to my tent. I'll give that little boy a good old-fashioned ass-whoopin' " She said with a smile and a playful wink.  
"I think I'll take you up on that offer." I said with a laugh. The silence was gone and for a while, it was like we were a normal group of girls hanging out. Yeah…just a group of perfectly, safe, normal, freaks.


	13. Chapter 13

The bliss of peace lasted until the last night we were in the town. Mr. tall seemed grim but wouldn't tell us why, I shrugged it off as if it were nothing.  
Christina and I were cleaning up the remains of the last show in this town. We picked up chairs, scrubbed the blood from the wolf man's act. Yes, the wolf man was a savage beast, but it was a part of every show for him to bite something from an audience member.  
Like I said, we were cleaning the place up. We were trying to erase the show's presence from the old warehouse. Christina seemed sidetracked, but to be honest I was too. I had been in this city for the past year or so, and had a few memories I dwelt on. The process was quiet and slow with only the occasional screech of the leg of a chair dragging across the cement floor to break the silence.  
We were nearly done when it happened.  
There was a chuckle. I thought I had imagined it at first, due to how soft it was. After a few minutes I heard a crackle. I lifted my head just in time to see a blast of lightning send Christina flying into a wall. I ducked and rolled just as one flew over my head, singing the tips of my messy scarlet hair. I winced at the pain in my ribs flared back to life.  
"Christina!" I yelled. I was to terrified to move, my legs felt like leg. The chuckled turned to a fit of laughter. I took out my knife. I didn't open my veins- not yet anyways. "What do you want?" I asked. I couldn't see Luke, but it was like I could smell the scent of evil in the electrified air.  
"I want big-sissy back." He said, taunting with a voice of fake innocence. He laughed wickedly. My eyes darted around as I searched for him.  
I forced myself to run to my fallen friend, " Are you okay…?" I asked Christina. She smiled weakly, "Never felt better." She said, wincing. She had gotten hit in the shoulder. "Give me Chrissie, and no harm will come to you." Luke said, still unseen. Christina looked at me, "Let him take me," She pleaded ," I don't want you to get hurt." I rolled my eyes at her ridiculous request, "And let him bring you back into that life. Not a chance." I winked playfully.  
"Fools." I heard Luke say from somewhere. he revealed himself and sent a blast of electricity at me. I pushed Christina out of the way, igniting a wave of pain from my broken wrist. I grunted from the pain and barely dodged Luke's new ball of lightning.  
"Still sporting the injuries from our last encounter I see. " Luke said slapping a grin onto the end of the sentence. " As I burn you alive, destroying your being, remember I gave you the chance to walk away from this traitor. " He said taking long, dramatic strides towards us.  
I helped Christina up," Do you think you can get Matthew here, he might be able to help." She nodded. "I'll stall." I murmured. She nodded again, and ran swiftly. Even with her injured shoulder she was fast. " Leaving behind your friend? How very un-Christina like…" Luke said. "I shall find her later…But now it is you, Blood girl, that I want. You have escaped me once, and there shall be no more escapes." He turned towards me.  
An evil twelve year old was threatening to kill my life. An evil twelve year old boy had sworn to kill me. Lovely. His blue eyes showed hatred. "I saw you run from Matthew like a coward," I said. That ignited rage in his eyes but I continued," I think you ran from him because he could defend himself. You came after us because we were caught off guard."  
He chuckled, blanketing the rage that was evident in his eyes, " You insolent fool. I ran from Matthew because I was smart. I do not wish for an early end. Now prepare for yours." He said drawing his hand into a fist, "This will be a very slow, painful process. One I will enjoy greatly." His hand charged with power. He charged at me.  
He was fast, but I was faster. As he lunged at me, I rolled to the side. I ignored the pain from my broken ribs and only focused on staying alive. Gotta stall, gotta stall I thought to myself. He swung his fist at me and I dropped my knife which I had been grasping in my hand only a minute ago. As I got up, I tried to sweep my feet under his legs to make him fall. He easily jumped over my futile attempt and countered with a kick.  
His foot colided with my face. The sheer force of the kick sent me flying halfway across the room. I tasted blood, but I didn't think my nose was broken. I stumbled to my feet and he laughed, taunting me, "You're pretty stubborn. All the more fun to break." He said. I winced, there was a pain in my ankle but I ignored it.  
He grinned, "Why fight destiny? Your going to die and you know it." He chuckled. "Destiny can be evaded.." I retorted. I felt as if that were a stupid thing to say, but stalling was stalling. Luke's Psychotic grin was stretched across his face. He held up his hand and charged it with a ball of electricity, this time it was a deep blue.  
"You know, I've been experimenting with my powers…"Luke said, as if he were chatting about the weather, "I haven't gotten to see what this one does on a human, I think I will today." He chuckled. The Lighting had grown in his hand into what looked like a javelin. I knew at that moment that destiny could not be evaded, that I most likely would not survive Luke this time and that I would cease existence.  
He grinned as I came to my realization, drew back his and threw the Javelin of pure energy. I braced myself for death.


	14. Chapter 14

I closed my eyes, not wanting to look death in the face. I sat there, waiting for electricity to course through my body, but it didn't come. I opened my eyes to find that I was on the other side of the room, being held by Mr. Crepsley.  
" What the hell..?"I asked.  
"Stupid girl, you are lucky I had run into Christina as she was searching for Matthew. You most likely would have died if not for my intervention." He growled . I blinked, surprised by the man's presence. I was confused, "How'd you get here so fast and what do you think you can do?" I asked, momentarily forgetting my theory from before.  
"I am not like you. " he said, " Now stay here." He commanded, in an instant he was clashing with Luke. Luke looked afraid of Mr. Crepsley for a split second but he masked it with a cocky grin, " I can take you down too!" he said with a laugh.  
I watched them fight in amazement. Mr. Crepsley quickly got close enough for hand-to –hand combat and sent a flurry of blows at Luke. Luke barely dodged Mr. Crepsley's fast hands and didn't even make time for taunting! Luke tried to charge his hand but Mr. Crepsley wouldn't let him stay still long enough to do whatever he needed to do.  
Luke desperately sent a kick at Mr. Crepsley, who caught it expertly. Luke's mask of confidence was quickly swept from his face, his eyes grew wide as Mr. Crepsley quickly twisted his leg. There was a blood-curdling SNAP and Luke fell to the ground with a shriek of pain.  
Luke looked pitiful as he yelled at Mr. Crepsley, " You're a monster! Leave me alone-" he was cut off by Mr. Crepsley when he said, " I may not be human, but I am not a monster. That is what you have became, Hatred has twisted you beyond recognition ." He breathed into Luke's face and Luke fell unconscious.  
From where I was standing I could see Luke's steady intakes of breath. Mr. Crepsley began walking towards me. "How the hell did you do that…?" I asked in awe of what I had just witnessed.  
" As I said, I am not like you…" he said awkwardly. " You're a vampire, aren't you?" I asked, suddenly remembering my theory. He frowned, "Yes. " My eyes grew wide and he added, " But not like the vampires the public knows. I do not kill those I drink from, and I am not the monster that Hollywood has portrayed my kind as." I tilted my head questioningly.  
I was about to ask some kind of a question but I felt a sharp pain go up my leg. I suddenly became aware of the pain in my ankle. I winced and fell back on the wall for support. Mr. Crepsley looked concerned, "I think my ankle was broken in the fight." I said helplessly. He offered his hand and I took it greatfully. He helped me back to camp wordlessly.


End file.
